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DEESIDE NATURALISTS' SOCIETY
FIELD TRIP
MARBURY COUNTRY PARK & NEUMANN'S FLASH

9th.February 2008.

 

The weather had deteriorated during the week and there was some uncertainty as to the conditions being favourable for Saturday's visit to Marbury Country Park. As it turned out the day was fine, with some cloud and naught but the slightest of breezes.

Nine society members met at the Spar public car park in Queen's Ferry for the short drive to Northwich. One further member met up with us there.

Marbury Country Park is the original grounds of the now sadly demolished Marbury Hall, there must have been stunning views from the hall of the surrounding area and over Budworth Mere. The wardens do a wonderful job here, all areas are kept litter free, tree lined avenues are a pleasure to walk along and the footpaths are well maintained.

At the south west corner of Budworth Mere there is a purpose built screen with bench seating and it was to this vantage point the party made their way. Looking across the mere we could see great crested grebes displaying and cormorants drying their wings. In the trees a solitary heron roosted as a kingfisher flashed past. In front of the screen is a feeding station and as we watched a pair of bullfinches flew in, the male very brightly coloured. After pecking away at the seeds for a while they flew off to a nearby rhododendron and stayed long enough for all to get spectacular views and some photographs. At the station there were also blue, great, coal and long tailed tits, reed buntings, nuthatches, robins and wrens.

Further along the south bank of the mere is another feeding station, this time set back in the woods. Whilst sat here, having our lunch, a pair of greater spotted woodpeckers came down to feed and out of the undergrowth a field mouse scurried past. Nuthatches, siskins and goldcrests could be heard calling from the surrounding shrubbery.

Continuing along there is a pleasant walk out of the park and across the Trent and Mersey canal to Neumann's Flash. The flash is a large shallow scrape, created by ground subsidence from local mining work, with  a number of  large viewing screens around the edge. From these the party had good clear views of waterfowl including shoveler, pochard, teal, wigeon and goldeneye. Along the water's edge were large flocks of lapwing, black headed gulls and a few black tailed godwit.

Returning to the park we heard there was a tawny owl roost and were lucky enough to catch up with someone who knew exactly where to find it. Standing beneath a large fir, cricking our necks and straining our eyes to look through the high canopy we were all eventually rewarded with partial sightings of a single tawny owl. Those who travelled to Park Hall in Staffordshire to see the long eared owls will know how difficult a task this can be.

Back at the car park we exchanged notes on who had seen what, luckily enough our lists tallied apart from one.We had hoped to see lesser spotted woodpecker, and although we knew they were about, only one member of the party saw one, fleetingly.

Still, there's always next time.

Ron Plummer



Field Trip to Park Hall Nature Reserve Staffordshire

November 17th 2007.


The society has not travelled to this reserve for some years but it was thought that a chance to see long eared owls was a good reason for a return visit.Park Hall Nature Reserve is Stoke’s first National Nature Reserve and  is located at Weston Coyney just off the A520 to the south east of  the city. It had been prearranged that the group would be met and shown around the reserve by ranger Mike Wilcocks.

The reserve incorporates Hulme Quarry, which boasts Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) status, an area of lower Triassic Bunter pebble beds of the Sherwood Sandstone Group, poorly mixed with horizontal bands of sandstone.This is an important site for the study of the environmental conditions of the Triassic Period.

The turnout was better than expected with 20 society members arriving at the reserve’s visitors’ centre.

After a short introduction Mike led us along the paths to view the old quarry.

Working at the quarry has long since ended and the area has now been landscaped with a series of well maintained paths and plantations of mixed broadleaf trees.The crags in the exposed sandstone face are ideal roosting and nesting places for tawny owl, little owl and kestrel. On this occasion only one solitary little owl was seen,half hidden behind an overhanging gorse bush.Standing no taller than a starling this ball of fawn coloured fluff stared at us with beady eyes from across the gorge before sidestepping shyly out of view beneath the foliage.

Moving away from the quarry the group followed Mike along the path to the pine woods. The pines are not densely packed and there is plenty of light let through the canopy, even so care had to be taken of the protruding brittle branches that could quite easily cause personal injury. The woods, this year, are home to two pairs of breeding long eared owls and within only a few minutes all members of the group were straining their necks to look up into the high foliage at a roosting adult bird. News came through that a second adult bird had been found roosting in a tree not 25 metres away. Although both birds were visible to the naked eye photographs were more difficult. Either a branch or the sway of the tree in the wind restricted any decent “shot”.The best anyone could hope for was an un-blurred image of either some chest plumage or the bird’s facial disc as proof  for a “tick”.

Back at the visitors centre the group were allowed to sit in the study area whilst Mike played an information video of the reserve’s history for our benefit.

Within a short space of time the air became cold, the sky overcast and it started to rain.Did we care? The intention was to see little owl and long eared owl. Mission accomplished.

Ron Plummer.

Programme Secretary.

Long-Eared Owl

Roosting Long Eared Owl
Copyright Andrew Wallbank 2007



Whixall Moss, Shropshire Saturday 29th July 2007


Considering the heavy rainfalls we had recently, I decided to phone Dr. Joan Daniels at her office at Whixall Moss and see if we should cancel the intended visit until a more suitable date. I was reassured that if we all had Wellington boots, or other suitable footwear, the party would be more than welcome as pre arranged.
The day was bright and clear with just the slightest of a breeze, in complete contrast to conditions over the past week, and an annoying heat haze that rendered anything below 6 feet from the ground at a distance of 200 yards as indistinguishable.
There were 18 Society members that arrived at the Manor House car park, Whixall Moss, at 10:00. Here we were met by our guide for the day, Caroline Evans, and given a short introduction to the history of the Moss.
Leaving the display centre we headed off to the Moss with Caroline at the fore bringing to our attention such, otherwise overlooked, bits of trivia as how bouncy the ground was. Caroline had brought along a butterfly net and half a dozen collection jars, clear plastic pots with a magnifying lens lid. Before long the net was being swished about as members tried to catch insects for identification. Although we all saw
dragonfly species such as blue emperor, red darter, common blue and common green damselflies and the rarer black dragonfly the only species netted with regularity was the yellow winged dragonfly. Moths and butterflies were out in abundance, with brimstone butterflies being seen on three occasions. The insect highlight of the afternoon must surely have been the spectacular views of a yellow water spider sitting in the centre of one of the many small ponds.
One of the birding “draws” for Whixall Moss is the chance of seeing a hobby hunting for, and catching, dragonflies in flight. It was not long before we were rewarded, not one but in total six hobbys were seen at the same time. Also seen was a kestrel flying off with a recent “kill”, buzzards and a sparrowhawk, plenty of swallows and swifts. In the scrub there were stonechats, blackbirds, whitethroat and bullfinch.
Whixall Moss also has many varieties of plants, Caroline showed the group patches of cotton grass, cross leafed bell heather, bog asphodel, sundew and a pitcher plant. The latter not being native, but looking quite at home all the same. The walk around the Moss took just over three hours in total, including a stop for lunch.
It was not until the next day that it became fairly obvious that one resident of the Moss had not been mentioned, I was covered in mosquito bites. All part of the greater Bio-Diversity plan of which I can now honestly say I am a fully paid up member.


Ron Plummer